Constitutional Law

Legislative Branch

What is the speaker of the House?

The speaker of the House is the technical leader of the House of Representatives. The speaker of the House calls the House to order, issues the oath of office to new members of the House, presides over House debates, calls on representatives to speak during debate, sets the legislative agenda, and leads the appointment process for various committees and committee chairs in the House.

The speaker of the House also is third in line to the presidency after the president and vice president.

The seat for the speaker of the House, as well as the Senate president. The speaker is third in line to the presidency (iStock).